Planet Earth
EXPLORE
PHOTO: MICHAEL NICHOLS
days. The park’s
beauty inspires
photography
and art courses.
Lessons in
fly-fishing and
animal tracking
round out the
curriculum.
HIKING Some of the park’s
biggest attractions can be
seen from roads and over-
looks, but others take a bit
more legwork. The unusual
Uncle Tom’s Trail has stairs
descending 500 feet into the
Grand Canyon of the Yellow-
stone and delivers hikers to
the base of the Lower Falls,
a roaring 308-foot waterfall.
On the eastern boundary, the
four-mile trail up and down
Avalanche Peak in the brief
summer season showcases
colorful subalpine wildflowers.
SWIMMING HOLES “Hot-
potting” is the slang for taking
a dip in one of Yellowstone’s
celebrated thermal features.
But only one still allows
swimmers; it’s a half-mile
walk along the trail north
of Mammoth Hot Springs.
VOLCANIC WONDERS Earth’s
most astounding concentra-
tion of thermal features
is on vivid display at the
park’s geyser basins. Norris
Geyser Basin, the oldest
and hottest hydrothermal
region in the park, is home
to Steamboat, the world’s
tallest active geyser. Upper
Geyser Basin boasts the
famous Old Faithful geyser.
WIND SPORTS With its steady
breeze and wide-open water,
Yellowstone Lake is an ideal
place for wind sports. It’s the
nation’s largest high-altitude
lake, roughly 20 miles from
north to south and 14 miles
from east to west. Windsurfers
and sailors have easy access;
special “boat party” camp-
sites dot the shore.
WINTER SPORTS The park’s
snow blanket is punctured in
spots by steam and perco-
lating hot water. Visitors may
explore by snowmobile and
snowcoach when accom-
panied by an authorized
commercial guide. Those who
cross-country ski or snowshoe
have miles of groomed trails
and untouched expanses of
backcountry snow.
Visitors pose
for photos at
Artist Point.
Yellowstone’s
scenery is
praised in
The 10 Best
of Everything:
National Parks.